Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-01-27
A PARIS PResTIDIelTATeUR.

a Transformation Scene Of tho Great
Mystcry-Flowers from u skull.
"To know exactly what | want will
give force TO the accomplishment of my
mission" said the Yankee in me. And
when the curtain was raised al 4:30
o'clock | was snugly seated in front Of
the stage Of the diminutivc Theatre :
Robert Iloudin, ready to take my first
lesson in pupazzir. What l saw was not
ut all what | expected to see, and a man
carefully dressed in the conventional
swallowtail and white cravat holding a
plaster bust in his hands, Just such q
one as you have seen in every artists
studio, explained that he would endeavor
TO occupy and To interest the audience be-
fore the regular performance of N.
Iemercier de Nsnville. A small table in
front of him occupied the stage. What
he did first to arrest the attention of the
audience was to pass the plaster cast Of o
female head to a number of his nearest
neighbors, to confirm the reality Of the
Impression that it was nothing more or
less than what it represented to the eyes
Of all. After the examinations had been
duly regulated to the entire satisfaction
Of those who handled the proof, the man
IN the S~wallowtail placed the plaster
bust on The table waiting for il.
"Whnt he did next was not submitted
to the judgment of the people, but
what we saw certainly strained my curl
osity and wonderment as it had never
been strained before, and judging from
the suppressed ordinations around me,
everybody else present experienced the
same strain. The plaster bust began TO
move under the magic influence of the
prestidigitateur, and gradually the eyes
OF the model lost their passive stare and
shone with the listrc OF lie. Shadows
of imagination and thought turned the
rigid clay into smiling life and touched
the grayish hue Of the checks with rosy.
dimpled flesh. oh, marvel of marvcls.
Oh, Coxieu! have YOU converted my
imagination into a allegory. or do l be-
hold a mystery? The swallowtail did
not let a syllable slip without the authori-
ty Of truth and reality. What expedient
he made use Of to light himself by that
torch no man present was wise enough
TO saw. and u and all waited with eager
zeal 10 sce what was impossible 10 know.
"A1ter life comes DEATH said the
magician. and we saw the Transformation
scene of that great mystery. The beauti-
full face Of the woman without transition
from youth and beauty to illness and
death, gradually gave place to a CHASTITY.
grllning skull. Certainly we were al
tied fast with amazeinent and the vapor
of what we were coming to was inhaled
at every breath. There was not a Chunk.
not a Granny that would furnish the
slightest escape from the conviction lhat.
whatever Of falseness existed in the pcre-
CARNATIONS before us, the last one was
solemn truth as real as doubt.
"Mon Dieu!' ! heard Frcnchwoman
behind me say; why did he not show
us a mans head!''
at would not have made such a sieve
for vanity tartly responded her COM
panion.
The ~swallowtail must have been a
disciple Of Darwin, for the next thing he
showed us, springing up in all the fresh
ness and beauty Of young nature, was an
exquisite bouquet of blooming roses bios
soming from buds 10 the perfection Of
full blown fragrance, their bright colors
and sweet breath smiling above the very
spot where the ugly skull had showed us
In such an unwelcome way the only
problem Of life that we know. Where
was the hidden spring or the secret wheel
of that masterpiece Of sleight of handf
Nothing was visible TO the eyes of the au-
dience but the gestures of the prestidigi-
tateur. Very SOC the flowers began to
wilt and TO give place to hat symbol Of
dust 10 dust, and again the fairest and
happiest were obliged to look at what ma.
tlre gives man as a last souvenir. The
skull climbed out Of sight as the lovely
lace of woman took its place. Art was
more enduring than all, for il was the
plaster cast that the swallowtail held
fondly in his hands when he bowed his
thanks tn The audience for their respect
full attention.-Paris Cor. Chicago Her
aid.